HEBDENROYD

 Height Road

Today Andy and Paul were working on a neglected path above Height Road. It was a glorious day with stunning views over the Upper Calder Valley; perfect weather for working outside. Though that wasn't totally the case as the footpath snaked up a steep incline and keeping ones footing proved to be hazardous. Soldiering on  we initially cut back the overgrown bilberry and heather to reveal the pathway and then put in six steps at the top end. 

Work funded by CROWS donations thank you.

The Detail:

This ROW is in need of restoration. It is seldom used because of heather and bilberry overgrowth and its steep hazardous ascent / descent. On the roadside are some stone steps leading up to a seating area and viewing point. Its from this point where the path is lost, leading up to a top path that comes down from Hebden Bridge Golf Club to meet Height Road further along.

Lovely seating area at the beginning.

A wee bit overgrown

Steep rise at the top end

Paul set about strimming a way through the bilberry and heather to reveal the path sightline, while Andy followed through with shears and rake. When this was clear we set about putting in six steps at the top end.

There is a path!

Panoramic view of Mytholmroyd!

Six steps in place!

We will be returning to continue the flight of steps and slot in some revetment further down to hold up the banking.

Blackshaw Head: Moor Hall Farm area

Near Moor Hall Farm: A different style of stile!

An experienced team of Ray, Jan and Frank H worked a long and energetic session to install a sturdy stile unit donated by British Recycled Plastic (BRP) who are based at Top Land Country Business Park, Mytholmroyd.

Fortunately the day was mainly sunny and the drystone wall adjacent to the job provided shelter from the nippy breeze and the occasional burst of hailstones!

Not quite in the middle of nowhere . . .but close to it!

Today's work was funded by the generous gift of a stile kit from British Recycled Plastic and by other individual donations. Many thanks.

The Detail

Stiles in the Upper Calder Valley come in all shapes, sizes . . . and in various states of disrepair! Replacement is usually by a custom-built structure to deal with sloping terrain, rocky ground, old wall footings, narrow gaps and adjacent fencing. How a pre-assembled unit could be installed was the challenge of the day! Here's how it went:

1. Original 'stile'.

Mmm! Patched to the limit of inaccessibility

2. Preliminary work.

Basic stile framework. It's very heavy!
No wonder Ray and Jan are looking stressed.

Synchronised digging. There no leeway
as regards hole positions . . . or depths!

3. Progress.

Stile framework in place with some side-rails
linked to an existing wooden post to bridge the
gap across to the ruined drystone wall.

First of the stile-step units being installed.
Some dismantling was necessary! 

Frank H running a critical eye over the two-step
stile, the additional grab pole and the side-rails
linked to existing structures. Not a bad effort
given the awkward ground conditions and the
fiddling about involved in fitting the steps. 

Testing! Testing! 85 kg - no problem!

4. The end result.

Neat work!

The stile is safe, secure, stable and certainly durable. CROWS will report back to BRP on the installation experience!

NUTCLOUGH WOODS

Feeling cheerful on a day without rain Andrew, Jerry, Neil D, Stella and Stephen set off once more to continue the big job of replacing all the rotten revetment holding up the path from Chapel Avenue into Nutclough Woods.  What a beautiful place to work, and how well-loved these woods are.  We were greeted today by a school group, dog-walkers and several locals, one of whom said she was just getting away from her laptop for half an hour to let the woods restore her.  

We have now nearly finished this job - one more day's work to be done in May!

Many thanks to Friends of Nutclough who have funded this work.

Why folk love Nutclough!

Busy busy

Chaps too busy for lunch??

Hidden in the greenery is rotten revetment

What it looked like when we dug out the old wood

And after we had installed the new

Happy crew!

RIPPONDEN/RYBURN NOAH DALE CLOUGH near MILL BANK

 Part  Two

Jerry, Angus and Jak returned today to finish the stiles in what turned out to be an extraordinary day weatherwise - snow, hail, wind , rain . . . and occasional sun!

The first stop was to put a new treadboard on the stile at Noah Dale Farm

The original 'stile'. . . 

. . . and now a wider, safer and extended stile accessible for walkers and dogs alike..

The second stop was to complete the stile near Upper Burnt Moor Farm and this is when the weather really set in . . . 

As a reminder, this was the original stile and fence.

  

Jak and Jerry in full waterproofs

Jerry and Angus contemplating the next stage

It works!

                                                             

finished stile including dog gate and  . . .

. . . the fence now reinstated using the original rails.

The opening of this path means there is now an alternative and pleasant route for walkers from Noah Dale Farm to near the bottom of Wicking Lane thus avoiding the traffic.

This work has been funded with generous contributions from Ripponden Parish Council and individual donations

TODMORDEN and BLACKSHAW HEAD - Various

 There were three teams out from Todmorden today:

1    Catherine and Neil M: drainage work in Obadiah Wood in Cornholme (see separate blog).

2    David and Andrew: step building at Keelham, at the junction of Tod 015 and 016.

3    Ken and Kasher: Modification to a stile at the junction of Blackshaw 046 with Cow Side Lane (Blackshaw 054) and then step infilling on Tod 133 in Ramsden Clough.

Today's work has been funded by individual donations to CROWS. Many thanks.

Details:

Team 2: David and Andrew returned to Keelham to install four steps on a slippery bank up to the recently completed gate.

Location of Keelham Farm.

Slippery bank up to the newly installed
gate.

David starting to install the steps.

The steps being investigated by local 
residents.

Team 3: Ken and Kasher returned to a stile near Cow Side Lane to improve a recently installed dog gate adjacent to a new stile (which was not built by CROWS). The improvements should deter lambs but still allow dogs to pass.

Ken modifying the dog gate.

Newly amended dog gate.

The team them moved to Ramsden Clough to infill a number of steps with MOT which was left over from a previous job in Ramsden Clough.

Steps up from the bridge in
Ramsden Clough.

Ken and the infilled steps.